Fresh off the TechCocktail networking event last night in Chicago, I have been pondering the state of the "tech community" here in Chicagoland. But as I was thinking in all kinds of direction on the topic, I slapped myself and came back to the reality that the online world, stripped of its technology, is very much like the offline world.

Do you know your neighbors? Think about it – people that may live in the next apartment, condo or house from you, do you know them, and if so to what degree? What about the person in the next office or cubicle? Or the person you greet every day when you get your coffee, dry cleaning or lunch?

If you don't know them, why is it? Did you try to initiate a relationship and they did not reciprocate? Or vice versa?

It is easy to dismiss the tech community as anti-social or people who would rather interact with avatars than people. Where there are some people like that, those people exist in society in general. There are social tech people, and they are organizing events, networking and starting sites like WindyBits to help foster the community.

I believe there is hope. Now I need to get back to sending emails and notes to people I met last night.

Diversions • Technology • (3) Comments • Permalink

This just in from Intuit... if you are using a version of QuickBooks prior to 2006, you will have problems if you upgrade to Windows Vista. To quote the email from the Senior VP of QuickBooks:

Since QuickBooks 2006 and earlier versions were developed
and released before the introduction of Windows Vista,
these versions may be adversely affected when used on
a computer running Windows Vista.

(it was centered and bolded in the email)

Most users aren't compelled to upgrade QuickBooks or Quicken every year, mainly due to the fact that if you want to use the same functionality, what has really changed? I heard one time in the early 2000's that Quicken hadn't changed since the mid 1990's.

Not that I needed another reason not to upgrade to Vista.

Technology • (0) Comments • Permalink

If you are a fan of Web 2.0 and the 80’s band Throwing Muses, then the subject of this post rings familiar, and here’s how they are connected.

LaLa.com is a CD swapping service. It is a true Web 2.0 application in its functionality, and in this case it works well as getting pop-up details on CDs and artists is a great help. I literally ran into this service at the main post office Chicago over the holidays of all places – there was a giant sign in the lobby. Here’s how it works in brief: you create a free account, list CDs you are willing to swap, then you search for CDs you want, and initiate a swap. Shortly thereafter you get a set of special mail envelopes (thus the USPS connection?) and CD cases that fit nicely in them. If someone initiates a swap for a CD you have made available, you register the code on the special envelope and you are given the address of whom to send the CD to. There is a charge of $1.75 for each CD you receive.

Out of curiosity I signed up, and have sent and received a few CDs without problems – only mail delays over the holidays slowed some deliveries to almost a month. The CDs are coming directly from members, and sometimes there are notes on the back of the envelope. On the back of a Throwing Muses CD I just got, there was a note from the sender hoping that I was as much of a Muses fan as they were. No fear, as my college radio days in the late 80’s, complete with skinny leather ties and gelled spiky hair, says it all.

Though I don’t know how many CDs I will post, I am wondering how long it will be around. Once I receive a CD, it goes onto my list of CDs available. So am I supposed to send it back out? That should be a huge red flag to the lawyers at the RIAA. The $1.75 comprises 75 cents for postage and $1 for the service, with a portion – 20% - going to a foundation to support performing artists. Not sure how that will be executed on, but maybe it will keep the lawyers away for a bit. Now I will go see if I can complete my Husker Dü collection.

Technology • (2) Comments • Permalink

This Thursday, January 25, 2007 is the next TechCocktail. As you can guess by the name, it is an tech networking event where drinks are served. This is the third of what has become a quarterly event, and will be held at Amira at the NBC Tower in Chicago.

I went to the first one, missed the second, and I am looking forward to this one. Its success can be contributed to many reasons. It was heavily promoted on blogs, and as a result brought in a wide variety of people in technology including programmers, entrepreneurs, bloggers, venture capitalists and lawyers. As a quarterly event, it is not overdone, and still has momentum. And free admission and drinks aren’t a bad thing either.

TechCocktail's success is in its simplicity, and that’s why I think it will be around for a while. Many user groups or other organizations fail because of the complexities of their services and offerings. As well, when there is a turnover in the organizers, it is hard to regain much of the momentum the group had. I have seen this personally with tech user groups as well as established organizations like the Jaycees, and it falls in line with the team development model of forming, storming, norming and performing.

Are you going to TechCocktail? Hope to see you there!

Business • Technology • (0) Comments • Permalink

Years ago I worked for a large international company who was a partner with Microsoft. The partnership was so strong we had a full-time Microsoft consultant on our development team. This was a huge benefit for us, as we had access to a top individual, plus their access to double-secret knowledgebases and internal communications. At one point, we were working with newly-launched technology and when we had a question on it, we literally had the Microsoft management for the technology on the phone.

I just got back from attending an afternoon roadshow put on by Salesforce.com. I am working with it for one of my clients, and I attended to learn more of the meat from the hype. Needless to say, my head is swirling with ideas and things I need to investigate further.

A new offering Salesforce has is its "AppExchange Incubator," which is office space made available to start-up companies who are developing applications to run on the Salesforce platform. The concept is that you are in a Salesforce office, along with Salesforce staff and other start-up companies. Not only do you get the benefit of having incubator space and its trappings, but by direct contact and osmosis you will be more successful. A single cubicle is reportedly $20,000 a year.

Some may say this is a steep price – how many people will fit in single cube anyway? But if you look at it from a learning-curve perspective, and depending on what your business model is, it can more than pay for itself. Developers of Salesforce add-ons sell them through AppExchange, an iTunes for software if you will, which is built right into the Salesforce platform.

When I heard about this, the first thought in my mind was why Microsoft never offered anything like this. Then again, having companies pay you rent is right in line with Salesforce’s subscription-based business model, not one-off licenses like Microsoft. The folks in Redmond could learn from the folks in San Francisco, maybe more than from the folks in Mountain View?

Business • Technology • (0) Comments • Permalink